History Narratives
Hermanus’ links to The Great Escape
One of the great pleasures of studying local history is that a single person or event can lead you on to another person or event and then…
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History Narratives
History Narratives
Life and times of the Balcony Building
The Balcony Building (numbers T58 - 62 Main Road) is today mainly associated with the Hermanus Factory Shop, which was opened in this…
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History Narratives
Reasons for fires
Part 2 of 3: The Great Fires of Hermanus The territory now occupied by the Overstrand Municipality, including Hermanus, has experienced…
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History Narratives
Hermanus burning: stories of fire
Part 1 of 3: The Great Fire of Hermanus The year 1958 was famous for the worst fires the town had ever experienced. The most destructive…
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History Narratives
Bringing Hermanus’ cinematic history into focus
As a form of entertainment, film came very early to Hermanus, with the first cinema opening in town just seven years after South Africa’s…
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History Narratives
Hotels, holidays and the Hermanus economy: Part Two
After the death, in 1940, of PJ Luyt, the hotelier who had turned The Marine into a highly successful and popular establishment, his…
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History Narratives
Hotels, holidays and the Hermanus economy: Part One
Late in the 19th century a type of tourism began in Hermanus that would last for and influence five decades of life in Hermanus. Since…
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History Narratives
Best photographer of his time - One of only five ‘Freemen’
Take a walk along the east side of Main Road in the Hermanus central business district. Stop at the pedestrian crossing outside the Pick n…
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History Narratives
THE COLOURFUL HISTORY OF FICK’S POOL
In 2017 Fick’s Pool is one of the lesser-known amenities in Hermanus. Probably not one in twenty shoppers at the supermarkets will know…
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History Narratives
How I won the Victoria Cross - Story of Major William Hewitt
You can learn a lot by reading a description someone gives of the most important event in his or her life. This certainly applies to Major…
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History Narratives
An Elephant Whisperer in Hermanus? The Story of Harold Langford-Browne
Another process of research, another unlikely link uncovered between Hermanus and events of world significance a long way away. This time…
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History Narratives
Hermanus in Spring: Wild Flowers, Whales Tourism and Our Economy
From the earliest accounts of Hermanus life, writers have never failed to praise life here in the spring. Fishing boats returned with…
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